Chef Julien Gremaud was in the kitchen of his hot, new Avocado Grill last Thursday, when his restaurant manager ran into the kitchen with a big smile and big news.

“I just seated this guy…”

And, bam, there was the big news: “This guy” was Emeril Lagasse.

Not bad for a place that’s been open for just five weeks on a small side street in downtown West Palm Beach.

Then again, Gremaud is no newcomer to the Palm Beach and downtown West Palm dining scene. The St. Tropez-born chef gained a local following for his stellar dishes as executive chef of both Pistache and PB Catch.

Damon Higgins/Palm Beach Post

So it was a buzzing place Lagasse saw when he walked by the previous night, Gremaud later learned.

“He said he walked by and liked the atmosphere, and he researched it a little bit. He read good things online, so he came in,” says Gremaud.

So what did he cook for the celebrated chef and TV food star?

“He ordered a bunch of small plates – tacos and sliders and little plates. I sent the food out and then I sent him an octopus (with chorizo, fingerling potatoes, Marcona almonds and smoked paprika aioli) and a short rib-stuffed jumbo shell (with gorgonzola cream and frisee),” says Gremaud. “He had some desserts. I brought him a Nutella and avocado mousse with espresso foam and caramelized hazelnuts. It’s a new dessert I created last week.”

The star chef, who has been on a swing through parts of Florida – including Orlando, Winter Park and Naples – in recent days, dined with two others, says Gremaud.

“I didn’t want to bother him, or stay too long at his table. He said he loved everything and wanted to congratulate me,” says Gremaud. “He was super nice.”

Damon Higgins/Palm Beach Post

COMING SOON: We’ll have a more in-depth look at Gremaud and his new restaurant in an upcoming Food & Dining section.